Dave, I thought the shows on Allure were the best I've seen on any Royal Caribbean ship, and better than many other lines' shows, too. I enjoyed all of them. I wouldn't recommend missing any of them, including the water show.

it's recommended to make reservations, but it's not mandatory. They let everyone who has a reservation into the various show venues first. About 10 minutes before show time, they open the house to anyone who wants to go in, assuming there are empty seats available. If you're not sure what day and time you want to see a show, you could go to the Box Office on the Promenade and make last minute reservations, if available.

It is really a good idea to make your show reservations on-line before your cruise starts. That way you won't be disappointed. Once aboard you can see if you can change things around if they have available seats. At least if you have a standing reservation you won't miss something due to a lack of seating. The downside of a ship with around 6000 passengers is that the show venues cannot handle the crowds without a reservation system. I know on our cruise aboard Allure in June, when we attended the water show there were very few open seats for walk-ups, and thus many people were disappointed. One guy caused a scene over it.

There will be more open seats for early shows on port days, for obvious reasons.

We loved all the shows. Very high standards and talent. Not your typical 'cruise ship salute to Hollywood revue' type of entertainment.

I agree wholeheartedly with Dave (can we ever disagree with the Master . I was on Allure in Sep. FANTASTIC!!!! We did every show (I normally don't do many shows). We reserved on line then changed as we could. For the Aqua Show we simply showed up at an earlier, more convenient show, and waited for a seat. Figured if we didn't get in we'd simply use our tickets for the later show. Worked fine. There was generally not much problem getting in. But at least the tickets guarantee admission.

There are no paper tickets. If you have a reservation it is linked to your cruise card electronically. At the entrance a crew member will scan your cruise card with a handheld reader, which will show if you have a valid reservation. They also use this system for the emergency drill to muster everyone.